1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cardiovascular analysis and in particular to the determination of left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) for such analysis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With lengthening life spans, cardiovascular malfunction has become an increasingly major cause of invalidism and death. Pulse rate, blood pressure and the electrical impulses of the heart are now commonly included in physical checkups using well known noninvasive techniques.
While a lot can be determined using the above techniques, other information has frequently been found desirable in cardiovascular analysis. This has led to the use of invasive techniques using catheters, fluid injection, X-rays and ultrasound. Invasive techniques are used to obtain the key parameters of cardiac output, stroke volume systemic resistance and left ventricular end diastolic pressure. Of these parameters, some experts consider left ventricular end diastolic pressure a significant and consistent indicator of cardiac function.